Just like using SFTP to connect to your web-server, it is always best to use HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) to login to your Cpanel, Webmail and WHM accounts. Contrary to what you might think, it is not necessary to activate SSL in your account to use HTTPS for these logins. You can login securely using the shared SSL certificate of the host. Because it's a shared SSL all web broswers will throw up a security warning stating that the certificate is untrusted. But you can safely skin this warning and proceed to the login screen.
Securely Login to Cpanel
Follow these steps to securely login to your Cpanel:
Step 1: Enter the following location in your browser's address bar:
https://sitename.com:2083
Make sure to replace sitename.com with the domain name of your website.
Regular http logins can be made using the 2082 extension. For HTTPS we need to use 2083.
Step 2: Once you click enter, you will be presented with a security warning. Depending on the browser you are using, these warnings may differ.
For instance, in Firefox you get the warning, 'This Connection is Untrusted' (as shown in the above image) and in IE you get the warning 'There is a problem with this website's security certificate.'. You can safely ignore this warning and proceed.
- IE: For IE click on 'Continue to this website (not recommended)' link.
- Firefox: In Firefox, click on 'I Understand the Risks' and then click 'Add Exception'.
- Chrome: In Google Chrome click on 'Advanced' and then click 'Proceed to Sitename.com (Unsafe)'.
Step 3: You should now be presented with the Cpanel login form. Enter the required login details and click login.
Securely Login to Cpanel WebMail
Reading your mail over HTTP is insecure and is not recommended as it leaves both your webmail login details and mail content in an insecure environment. Follow these steps to use HTTPS to securely login to your Webmail.
Step 1: Enter the following location in your browser's address bar:
https://sitename.com:2096
Make sure to replace sitename.com with the domain name of your website.
Regular http webmail logins can be made using the 2095 extension. For HTTPS we need to use 2096.
Step 2: Just like in the Cpanel login, you will be presented with the same untrusted certificate warning. You can safely ignore these warnings and proceed.
Step 3: Enter your Email address and password and click 'login' to read your mails in a secure environment.
Securely Login to WHM
If you own a reseller account, then you can securely login to your WHM (Web Host Manager) panel by going to any of the following links:
https://sitename.com:2087
or
https://sitename.com/whm
or
https://ipaddress/whm
Make sure to replace ipaddress with the IP address or sitename.com with the domain name of the site you used while registering for the reseller account.
You will be presented with a similar certificate warning as discussed above which you can accept and proceed to login.